Fishermen’s blockades bring chaos to land and sea (France)

[bemildred]

Source: Times.UK

Thousands of cross-Channel travellers face a third day of chaos today caused by the fishermen who are blockading French ports.

There was a brief respite last night when the protesters began allowing some ferries into Calais. Boulogne and Dunkirk remained blocked.

A line of lorries stretching deep into Kent has been forming since Tuesday when 100 fishing boats manoeuvred into position across the entrances to the ports, paralysing ferry traffic.

As hauliers, holidaymakers and business travellers waited, P&O cancelled sailings to all three ports.

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article6101814.ece

[bertman]

1. Mass dismissals of fishermen is all the story says about the cause of this. Is it due to

fuel costs or the economy or prohibitions against fishing for certain species of fish?

[ohio2007]

2. The EU has restricted the cod fish and red tail tuna quotas. French fisherman don't like it

but the EU said the fisheries are badly depleted.

[bertman]

3. Thanks for the info, ohio2007. Those guys had better wake up or they won't have ANY

fish to fish for. The Europeans have almost killed off the bluefin tuna by their failure to adopt strict rules putting them off limits.

This seems to be a repeat of the attitude U.S. and Canadian fishermen had toward the northwestern Atlantic cod fishery. They and their proxies in the governments fought regulation until the fishery was depleted. Very sad.

The overfishing that is going on around the world is taking a heavy toll on all fish species. We in the U.S. are lucky that we have some fairly decent governmental regs to help keep our fisheries intact. I say "fairly decent" because there is still a long way to go because the fisheries lobby is very strong and fights any restrictions on catch limits. But we ARE making progress.

The sad part is that the migratory patterns of some species allow for them to be harvested outside our territorial waters where our regs have no standing.

[cambie]

4. So what does this have to do with pirates in Somalia?

The depletion and restricting of fisheries in the EU and elsewhere result in ships going to Somalia to do illegal fishing. Big money, and being illegal it's controlled by warlords and mafia and their friends. Now warships are going there. They tell us it is about pirates...

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/4/14/analysis_somalia_piracy_began_in_response